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Bell: Michael Vick could have third act with Jets

CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Supposedly, the New York Jets are Geno Smith's team. Yet that working title at the start of training camp does not preclude Michael Vick from feeling a certain vibe. Vick had the most

CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Supposedly, the New York Jets are Geno Smith's team. Yet that working title at the start of training camp does not preclude Michael Vick from feeling a certain vibe.

Vick had the most stimulating spiral on the practice field during the two weekend sessions — an arching, 50-yard rainbow that flew just beyond cornerback Dee Milliner's reach and into the waiting arms of Clyde Gates along the sideline. The pretty, would-be touchdown throw into such a tight window was classic Vick. He just flicked his wrist and the football seemed to travel by radar.

Reminded of the pass after Saturday's practice, Vick became giddy. He would not contain that smile.

"Oh, you saw that?" Vick said to USA TODAY Sports. "Dropped it in the bucket, baby!"

While Ryan maintains that the starting job is open, Vick, 34, arrived at camp last week repeating the theme that he sang for several months. It's Smith's team, he declared, and he's happy to help in the development of the second-year quarterback. He is embracing his role as a mentor, careful not to fan the flames of controversy.

Even so, Vick is still a baller at heart, a competitor with something left.

He looked extremely sharp over the weekend, with commanding presence. Like a starter.

"It's a very fine line," he said. "I accept this role and I embrace it and I appreciate it. But I know this is not my football team. So that's why I'm able to deal with it. At the same time, I feel like I'm one of the best quarterbacks in the league. That's the way I feel.

"I still feel like I can move, I can throw the ball and make good decisions. I still have that confidence. It's a fine line, but hey, this is where I'm at in my life right now. We'll see."

At this time last year, Vick was in the midst of a quarterback duel, too, with the Philadelphia Eagles. He won the job over Nick Foles, then lost it after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 5. Foles came off the bench to light it up — 27 TDs, 2 INTs — and became Chip Kelly's quarterback.

Vick showed a lot of class in handling the emergence of Foles. It was reminiscent of the manner in which Alex Smith flowed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012 after he was bumped for Colin Kaepernick. Vick supported Foles, and after regaining his health did not lobby to get back on the field.

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Yet it's still undetermined whether Vick will wind up with a starting job like Alex Smith, who landed with the Kansas City Chiefs. He is seemingly in the perfect spot as he reunites with Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who served in the same role during Vick's best year in Philadelphia.

Vick's familiarity with the offense is one reason why Ryan suggests that it is premature to read much into the fact that Geno Smith – who finished strong last season when the Jets won three of their final four games — has had about 75% of the snaps with the first team during the early stages of camp.

"All it shows is that we have a young player," Ryan said of Smith's first-team reps. "Mike's a veteran who has been in the system. You've got to get guys ready, but you've also got to get the younger guys ready."

This might also be the perfect spot for Vick when considering his bond with Smith. When Smith was at West Virginia, Vick called to lend encouragement to the up-and-coming quarterback. And Smith, who wears Vick's old No. 7, grew up as a fan.

Now they are competing against the backdrop of mentoring.

"Everything he says makes a lot of sense," Smith said. "He's speaking from experience, and we all know that experience is the best professor."

Smith, 23, said that because of their friendship, he knew that Vick would wind up with the Jets. He welcomes the competition, expecting that it will push him to get better.

As much as Vick can address nuances of Mornhinweg's system with Smith, there is undeniable value in the wisdom gained from a journey that included one of the most pronounced falls from grace in NFL history. Vick went from being the first black quarterback chosen No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft to a 21-month prison term for his involvement in a dogfighting ring. He's been through bankruptcy, public scorn and the process of rebuilding his career and image.

Such a trek surely allows Vick something to offer beyond the X's and O's.

"A lot of that came from Coach (Andy) Reid and Marty," Vick said. "There were so many times that Coach Reid sat me down in his office and talked about things, football-related, life-related, that you kind of take along with you."

Vick has had a few mentors over the years, including one that in some ways reminds him of himself now: Donovan McNabb. When Vick got out of prison, McNabb was all for the Eagles to sign him, then took a hands-on mentoring approach.

Vick laughed when asked if, during the offseason, he demanded that Smith join him for 6 a.m. workouts, as McNabb did to him.

"Nah," Vick said. "That was Donovan's way. We work out together in the afternoons, we watch film together. The way I do things is different from the way other people do things."

So you're not a 'pushy' mentor?

"That's what I don't do," Vick said. "That's why I won't wake a guy up at 6 a.m. to get a workout. It's not that serious. As long as we get our work in and work hard. I tell Geno, 'We're just creating building blocks. We've laid a foundation, and now every day, we must keep building."

When Vick was around Smith's age, he had a few veterans in his ear, too, offering advice during his years with the Atlanta Falcons. He mentioned former teammates Ty Detmer, Ray Buchanan and Keon Carpenter as particular influences.

But immaturity was another factor. Before the dogfighting ring was exposed, Vick baffled the Falcons by not putting in the long hours at the headquarters that are typical for NFL quarterbacks.

"I was kind of hard-headed and I did what I wanted to do," Vick reflected.

QB Russell Wilson watches from the Seahawks practice facility in Renton, Wash., as a Marines swimmer jumps from a helicopter into Lake Washington during a military demonstration July 31. (Photo: Ted S. Warren, AP)

Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach Eric Bieniemy gives instruction to Jamaal Charles during a NFL training camp, Wednesday, July 30, 2014 on the Missouri Western State University campus in St. Joseph. Mo. (Photo: Todd Weddle, AP)